Humanoid
by x Inkbrush x
Summary: YGGDRASIL is gone; the New World beckons. When Momonga is forced to become permanently undead, he knows he must become humanoid again if he wants to retain his sanity. As a Supreme Being, this isn't a difficult task. New body, flesh-and-blood? Easy. Just one problem. His Floor Guardians don't recognise him. And they have one mode for intruders: attack. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Humanoid

 **Rating:** M

 **Summary:** YGGDRASIL is gone; the New World beckons. When Momonga is forced to become permanently undead, he knows he must become humanoid again if he wants to retain his sanity. As a Supreme Being, this isn't a difficult task. New body, flesh-and-blood? Easy.

Just one problem. His Floor Guardians don't recognise him. And they have one mode for intruders: attack.

 **Tags:** OP Ainz, Sane Albedo, Floor Guardian Loyalty, Albedo's last line of code never existed

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Overlord.

-00-

Ainz stared into the mirror and hated what he saw. He'd heard of these feelings before in other people, however he doubted they had the problem he did. All those people were still human after all, not giant skeleton monsters.

He pulled an item from his pocket and held it up to the light, pincered between two long bone fingers. It's item name appeared above it before dissipating.

 **[Orb of Transmutation]**

 _This is it. This is my last chance to make things right._

It's not that being a skeleton wasn't cool. It's just wasn't _right_. It's not how things _should be_. When the clock had hit 00:00, the world shifted indescribably. In a DMMO-RPG, you always felt a little disconnected to your body, as if you're a wraith within the skin pushing outwards and controlling your avatar. When the clock hit, it was if the wraith had infused into the bones, the universe had shifted, everything becoming a little sharper, a little more _permanent_.

That wraith, the part of the player that was indescribably human, was literally almost consumed by the being that was Ainz Ooal Gown. Just a tiny part remained. Niggling in the back of his mind, staying his hand when he went to kill indecisively and wipe lesser beings from the face of the earth. That was what Ainz Ooal Gown wanted to do. But not him.

Not Suzuki Satoru.

For that was who he was, no matter how much he pretended otherwise. He was human, at least emotion-wise. He was not a lich. He was human, and if he didn't do something soon, even the little wiggling worm of humanity left over would be destroyed in the darkness.

For a moment, he hesitated. Could he really give this up? This freedom from the confines of a living body. Then he decided.

" **[Orb of Transmutation]** ," he said, "Activate." He had pre-coded his desired body into the Orb.

At first, nothing happened. Ainz shook the Orb a little and felt a little trill of frustration. That should have been his first clue. Undead didn't feel frustration.

Then a bright light exploded from the Orb and washed over his giant skeleton.

Then.

Agonising pain. Pain in every pore.

The sound of two giant boulders smashing together. The world seemed to get bigger around him, the already large bed behind him becoming huge. Then he realised the world was not expanding, just that _he_ was shrinking. The gigantic skeleton bones shrunk and morphed to a human skeleton.

His body felt as it had been set on fire as skin exploded from the bones, layer after layer, red, then pink, then finally a tanned brown. One final layer stretched over his skin like a thin layer of mucus before solidifying. Freckles over his nose and shoulders. Purely cosmetic, he thought.

When he looked at himself in the mirror, he almost didn't believe his eyes (he hadn't even had eyes before). He looked about Albedo's height, and brown, and _human_.

 _Human._

A long moment passed.

 _HUMAN?_

Nonono. He hadn't coded the orb for _human_. What was he going to –

A splitting headache almost cracked his skull open. It felt like two bones were breaking out the back of his skull. He felt them tear through skin, slither like a snake past his ears, one on either side, and gnarl together at the hairline in the middle of his forehead. Antlers. A crown of antlers.

 _Appropriate for the ruler of Nazarick._

He realised he must have subconsciously been thinking of Albedo when he'd coded his new body. He hoped his new appendages wouldn't send Albedo into too much of a ruckus.

Either way, he was insanely glad the antlers had appeared. The guild had been made as a haven for non-human players. To change himself into a human would be a disgrace, not only to the guild's ideals, but also to the memories of his departed friends. He'd still needed a form that made him feel _alive_ , though.

Then the effects of having a flesh-and-blood body caught up to him all at once. He suddenly felt dizzy. The room began to spin a little. His stomach made a gurgling noise. Ainz pressed a hand to his abdomen. Having been a lich for some days now, he'd forgotten what hunger felt like. Now his stomach felt like it was eating itself, searing away its own lining with acid.

He needed food. Immediately.

He realised with a jolt that the Guardians and inhabitants of the Great Tomb of Nazarick wouldn't recognise him in this form. They'd assume he was an intruder and challenge him on sight, and some were more lenient than others. If anyone, Ainz hoped it would be Sebas – at least he would give Ainz a chance to explain.

Probably.

Anyone else… Ainz felt his stomach twist at the thought of meeting Demiurge in a dark alley or hallway.

If he was going to sate his growling stomach, he would first need to prove his identity. In his defence, they'd designed Nazarick quite a few years ago and, being undead, he'd had never had a reason to take note of where the kitchens or eating places were.

What he did know was the location of the Throne Room, the room that held the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. The Staff only he could wield. That was how would prove his identity. He only cursed himself for not thinking to bring the Staff with him to his chambers.

He felt a crash of emotion he thought he'd never get to feel again. Regret. He waited for the overwhelming feeling to be inhibited by his undead nature, braced himself for his emotions to be forced into shutdown, then realised. There would be no magic inhibition. It was up to him to calm himself now.

How very human.

How very weak, just like the rest of him.

He needed that staff.

-00-

Ainz didn't even attempt the hallway outside his door. That would be ludicrous. He would run into someone almost immediately, and without a solid grasp of the powers he had in this form, he wouldn't stand a chance. No matter how cute the Pleiades looked in costume, they were still a deadly force.

 **[Gate]** , he said. The fabric of reality tore before him and he stepped through.

The kaleidoscope of colours quickly solidified into the Throne Room. Orientating himself quickly, he looked up toward the giant gnarled throne, and next to it, the golden Staff hovering in the air.

Thank goodness no one had…

A door at the side of the room squeaked open ominously and one of his Guardians emerged. Seemingly noticing a living presence, and a foreign one at that, he whirled on Ainz, a look of shock passing over his face. Then his long iron tail sharpened into a point at the end.

Demiurge smiled as his eyes took on killing intent.

-00-

"Demiurge," said Aniz, "Hang on."

 **[Dimensional Lock],** said Demiurge.

Ainz felt his heart jump to his throat. **[Gate]** , he said frantically. Nothing happened. **[Dimensional Lock]** had shut down teleportation magic in the room. There was no escape now.

"I don't know how you got this far, vile intruder, but as a Floor Guardian of Nazarick it will be my honour to obliterate you." Two giant balls of fire burst to life over Demiurge's head.

Ainz felt himself sweat for the first time in days, since he'd entered Yggdrasil for the last time. "Demiurge, wait a minute."

Demiurge clicked a finger and one of the balls of flame turned searing blue. Ainz knew if that hit him he would die. Instantly. He didn't know how to shield in this body yet. He cursed himself for not feeling out his new powers before leaving his quarters.

"If you attack me, you'll regret it," said Ainz. This made Demiurge stop for a moment and chuckle.

"How quaint. You think you pose a threat to me." Demiurge's smile made Ainz shiver.

"Not because I'll attack you back!" said Ainz, "You'll regret it because you'll hate yourself after!"

Demiurge snapped his finger again and the second ball of flame turned blue. "You think I'd feel remorse for a snivelling human… or whatever you are. Go." The last word had been directed at the fireball, as it shot away from Demiurge straight for Ainz's face.

Ainz yelled out and leaped away. In perhaps the first lucky thing that had happened that day, his new body seemed to have fantastic agility. He jumped out of reach of the fireball and rolled on the ground, feeling the heat singe the back of his head. He hadn't yet pushed himself up when the other came barrelling toward him.

He threw his hands up over his head and closed his eyes. He would not scream. Miraculously, the fire curved over and around his body, as if he'd suddenly been covered with a clear dome.

The fire dissipated and Demiurge was standing shocked. Then his features twisted ferally and he screeched and leapt toward Ainz, iron tail arched over his head like a scorpion. Demiurge's hands slammed into the marble floor on either side of Ainz's body hard enough to make cracks in the floor. Purple liquid appeared on his tail tip.

Ainz knew what was going to happen. He had time to say one thing and one thing only before he died.

"I'm Momonga!" He deserved to know, though perhaps it would have been kinder to not tell him. Before either of them could stop it, the poison-tipped tail arced over Demiurges head in a flash of silver and imbedded itself in Ainz's chest.

Ainz made a choking noise as blackness descended on his vision, and he felt his life-force zap into nothingness.

-00-

Demiurge stood up from the creature he'd disposed of and wiped his hands on his trousers. "Filthy," he muttered to himself. His mind was already running through how this human-thing could have gotten this far into Nazarick.

Then something strange happened. The body started glowing. A deep black viscous glow that wavered around it, then exploded outward into the room.

It was if the lights had been cut. The room was suddenly dim and black smog wafted around the floors. Demiurge was unnerved. He'd seen this happen before – the glowing body, the hovering blackness. This was what happened when a Supreme Being died.

Demiurge tried to calm himself. Of course this thing wasn't a Supreme Being. For one, there was only Supreme Being left, and he was hard to miss, being a giant skeleton. Doubt clouded Demiurge's mind like darkness clouded the floor. If this thing somehow _was_ a Supreme Being, that would explain how they'd gotten this far. But there was no way he would be strong enough to kill one - it would have put up more of a fight.

Demiurge cocked his head to the side. Confusion compounded confusion. He didn't understand.

That's when the screaming began.

The **[Message]** channels that connected the Guardians had suddenly been thrown open and a horrible cacophony of screams and squeals echoed through Demiurge's head. He clamped his hands over his ears and dropped to his knees. The channels wouldn't close.

"Demiurge!" came Albedo's frantic voice into his head, "What did you do! Why has Ainz-sama's lifeforce disappeared?"

Demiurge's eyes widened. Now that he checked, Albedo was right. He couldn't sense Ainz-sama anymore. Anywhere. He would have noticed sooner if not for the black smog taking his attention away from the situation.

 **[Message],** said Demiurge, "Albedo…" his voice trailed off.

He was an intelligent being, and the pieces connected, and they connected horribly. He didn't want to believe it. He _couldn't_ believe it. Because that would mean Ainz-sama was dead, and he had…

No.

It couldn't be. His mind refused to believe he had committed the greatest sin known to their kind.

 _You'll regret it because you'll hate yourself after_ , he had said.

No, these pieces _did not_ connect. He would not allow him too. A piece of smoke wisped over his shoulder.

"Demiurge!" came Albedo's voice again, "What is it? What's going on?"

 _I am Momonga_. Demiurge had hardly been listening. Surely he hadn't said _that_. He had to have misheard. He would _not_ believe…

Sebas's voice came down the **[Message]** channel. "Demiurge, the Pleiades are shaken. What exactly is happening?"

"Demiurge!" came Aura's voice.

"Demiurge!" Shalltear.

"D-Demiurge!" Mare

Demiurge spoke. "I think you should all come to the Throne Room."

"What?" said Albdeo, "Demiurge, _why_?"

Demiurge took a deep breath. "I think I killed Ainz-sama."

-00-

A few minutes had passed. The Guardians had quietened and decided to convene in the Throne Room.

Demiurge jerked his head around as the Throne Room door was slammed open, revealing the silhouette of Albedo, wings flared. Her eyes tracked over the room, taking in the mist coating the floor, the dimmed lights, then landed on Demiurge.

"Demiurge, _what is going on_? This can't be what it looks like."

"I –"

Albedo was already brushing past Demiurge to inspect the body. At the same moment, Shalltear appeared in the doorway and began to float over the floor towards them, parasol over her shoulder.

"My my," said Shalltear on her way to the corpse, "What dreadful mist. Is this your doing, Demiurge?"

"No, I think –"

"Hey hey! Demiurge!" Aura bounced into the room, waving animatedly, "Have you found Ainz-sama yet? And what was that joke about killing him? That wasn't very funny, you know!"

Mare peeked out from behind his sister, clutching his staff. "Y-yes, I agree!"

Albedo was running several spells on the corpse. "All of you, come over here!" They all huddled around the supine figure.

 **[Post-Death Stat Check]** , said Albedo. A rectangular box sprung to life above the human-thing's head.

| ******Supreme Being****** |

| Name: Ainz Ooal Gown |

| Alias: Momonga |

| True Name: Unable to be Determined |

| Status: Deceased |

| Alignment: Extreme Evil (-500) |

| Form: Humanoid |

| Racial Level: Unable to be Determined |

| Previous Form(s): Elder Lich |

Demiurge's tail drooped to the floor. So it was true. He wondered why he felt the sudden urge to rip out his own black heart. The Guardians in the room were frozen on the spot, not understanding, reading the words over and over.

"This is Ainz-sama," said Albedo, "but in another form."

"D-deceased," said Mare, "That means Ainz-sama is… is…"

"Yes," said Aura, ever straightforward, "Ainz-sama is dead."

Shalltear turned red eyes on Demiurge. "Yes," she said sweetly, "and Demiurge killed him."

The Guardians skipped despair and denial and jumped straight to _vengeance_. Fangs were suddenly visible in Shalltear's mouth. She drew her weapon. Demiurge felt numb. He would die now and he would deserve it. It was only fair.

Albedo's eyes were hard as a black bardiche materialised in her hands. Demiurge wouldn't object. Sure, he hadn't known, but if he'd listened a moment longer, if he hadn't been so hasty…

He embraced the black self-loathing bubbling up in his chest. Not even death could absolve him of this. He could never be absolved of this, in this life or the next. Never. Demiurge dropped to his knees.

Aura drew her beast-tamer's whip, which set itself on fire.

Mare's voice lost its stutter. It was still soft, though. "How could you." Purple sparks shot threateningly from the tip of his staff.

Not another word was uttered. Shalltear and Albedo drew their weapons above their heads. Aura flicked her whip backwards. Mare's staff developed a purple glowing orb at it's tip.

Demiurge closed his eyes and waited. All at once, the weapons came down.

-00-

 **A/N:** Hey everyone! Thanks for reading!

Don't worry, Ainz isn't permanently deceased. A pesky setback like death won't stop a Supreme Being. He's just taking his sweet time regenerating. He'll be back in the next chapter - very very hungry.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** What does it truly mean to have a human soul?

-00-

 **Chapter 2**

Demiurge opened his eyes at the last moment. The weapons arced down, an inch from his face, then bounced off a semi-transparent dome that suddenly materialised around him, the impact creating a billow of white smoke. The other Guardians were catapulted backwards and hit the floor hard. The weapons flew from their hands, clattering away on the marble floor.

Demiurge didn't understand – he hadn't cast a defensive spell. He vaguely noted the black mist had disappeared from the room.

Albedo hissed through her teeth and pushed herself up with an arm. Her slitted eyes locked on Demiurge. " _You—"_ Albedo was cut off.

"Don't—" said a voice. The smoke cleared, revealing a form on hands and knees, one arm outstretched to Demiurge. "Don't—" said Ainz-sama again, before his body was racked with coughs. He dropped his hand back to the floor to steady himself as he hacked red and purple liquid onto the marble. A second after the arm went down, the shielding dome disappeared.

Two truths crashed down on Demiurge at once, stronger than any weapon could. One: Ainz-sama was alive, and Two: he had just saved him from certain death.

Demiurge was intelligent, but this… His mind failed to compute. Oh, the first part he understood, most certainly. Of course death couldn't stop Ainz-sama. But the second…

 _Why?_

Why would Ainz-sama show even the slightest modicum of mercy for him after what he'd done? He didn'tdeservethis. He concluded that it must be due to… _emotion_? _Care?_

Trust this life-or-death moment to hinge on the one factor in life he didn't understand…

-00-

That was _blood_.

His own _blood_ that was coming out of his mouth, and the purple mixed in like a rank concoction must be the poison from Demiurge's tail. Satoru had been hit by a truck before, had been in hospital for weeks. This was multitudes worse. It was hard to keep his eyes open. The darkness of unconsciousness beckoned. No. If one of the Guardians attacked Demiurge again, he was going to be awake to stop them. Demiurge was obviously too submerged in guilt to do anything, so it was up to him.

" _Ainz-sama!_ " chorused the Guardians, rushing toward him.

Unable to hold himself up any longer, Ainz flopped onto his back, limbs boneless, acutely aware of the giant bleeding wound in his chest. He breathed heavily. This body's healing was excellent, but the poison was proving hard to expel. Every time his chest tried to knit itself back together, purple liquid seeped from the wound, forcing the lips of the wound apart again. Ainz cried out in pain.

"Mare, quickly!" cried Shalltear.

Mare jumped. "R-right! **[Greater Regeneration]** " He pointed his staff at Ainz's chest. A bright green light glowed at the end, a matching glow ensconcing Ainz's body. The pain faded to a dull throb.

Mare spoke again. " **[Poison Extraction]** "

Oh no – Ainz knew how that spell worked. Ainz's back arched and purple liquid sprayed from his chest and mouth like a fountain into the air. He made a choking noise before his body straightened again and collapsed back onto the floor. There were dark puddles around him now.

Aura yelled. "Fenny! Come!"

 _Fenny? Who –_

That train of thought was dispelled as a loud howl split the air. Ainz was vaguely aware of a large blur streaking toward Aura before coming to a stop. Of course. Fenny. _Fenn_. Aura's giant wolf pet. If he were less near-death right now, he would have found the nickname cute.

Aura stroked Fenn's nose, before pointing to Ainz's chest, now poison-free but still bleeding. "Fenny, heal!"

Fenn turned intelligent eyes on Ainz and for a moment he wondered how the wolf was going to heal him. Surely he wasn't going to lick him or something! Thankfully, Fenn just closed his eyes and seemingly concentrated. The wolf's nose glowed blue. In his state of semi-delirium, Ainz had the sudden image in his mind of reindeer and sleighs.

The green glow was still surrounding him, his own body's healing powers were kicking in with force, knitting flesh back together, and when Fenn lowered his glowing blue nose to the wound, there was a great flash of light.

Ainz took one, long, deep, shuddering breath. He reached a hand to his chest. Smooth skin and the tattered remains of his robe. Thank goodness he was wearing trousers.

Right.

It was time to fix this mess he'd made. Ainz pushed himself to his feet and took a deep breath. "I'm back."

"Ainz-sama," breathes Albedo.

"Yes, as you've all noticed, I am Ainz Ooal Gown, back from the dead." That was a _wonderful_ feature of his new body. He wondered if perhaps he could give the ability to any of his Guardians. Ainz cleared his throat. "I mean, of course I'm back. One such as myself can't be defeated by some paltry matter like death."

Ainz realised what he'd said a moment later. _Yikes._ That had sounded better in his head. If he'd still been a lich, that would have sounded cool. With a human-like body, it sounded…

What's the word he was looking for?

Oh yes. Pretentious.

Wait, when had he started feeling self-conscious? He hadn't had that feeling since Suzuki Satoru…

Trying to move on, he took a step towards Albedo, making her back up a step. "Now if you'll excuse me…" He went to step around Albedo to reach his staff and clear up this mess once and for all.

Albedo stepped in his path.

Ainz looked into her piercing slitted eyes.

"You don't act like Ainz-sama," said Albedo.

 _Shit._ He'd said " _excuse me"_. He wouldn't have as a lich. It seemed becoming human-like had brought back a little _too much_ of Satoru.

He tried to calm Albedo down. "I assure you, it's me. Race changes are bound to change some things. We _are_ the same height now…"

Albedo did not move.

"If you let me get to my Staff, I'll prove it to you."

Albedo narrowed her eyes. Great, now he was having problems from being _too polite_. He quelled the sudden urge to massage his temples.

Shalltear joined Albedo in blocking his path to the throne, her eyes wary. They thought it was some sort of trick. Just _wonderful_.

"Get out of my way!" he wanted to scream, but didn't. With Albedo's slitted eyes boring into him like that, he really didn't know what would happen if he made her mad when there was doubt in her mind as to his identity. This was ridiculous. A sudden urge of righteous anger bubbled up in his chest. He shouldn't be having these problems with his own Guardians!

 _No_ , he told himself sternly, _you've made your bed, now lie in it_.

Ainz sighed. "Albedo, you hatched from an egg."

Whatever Albedo was expecting him to say, that wasn't it. She cocked her head to the side. "Excuse me?"

"You hatched from an egg. Only I and Tabula-san were there. I wouldn't know that if I weren't Ainz."

Albedo's eyes widened in awe and understanding.

Ainz turned to Shalltear. _Flavour text, flavour text._ "Shalltear, O Negative blood makes you sick, but you never told anyone because you didn't want to seem weak."

Shalltear's mouth dropped open.

"Aura, your greatest dream is to become a dragon. Mare, you act like you don't like skirts, but you actually prefer them because they're breezier."

Ainz didn't catch the twins' reactions – he was already turning to Demiurge, who was on his feet, expression unreadable.

"Demiurge…"

Disaster struck. Ainz blanked. _Demiurge, Demiurge…_ He couldn't remember a single line of profile text that wasn't common knowledge. Then one hit him. No. He couldn't say that – it would be far too mean… But then again, the devil _had_ just stabbed him through the chest.

Demiurge's eyes narrowed. He had to say something _now_ or he might be going in for Stabbing Round Two.

The silence stretched.

He had to use it. His mind had supplied that one fact, and now was refusing to cooperate any more. Figures.

"Demiurge, you…"

Silence.

"You have a soft spot for bunny rabbits." Ainz's voice trailed off at the end. Demiurge looked away and placed a hand over his mouth.

The silence was broken by Shalltear's snort, then tinkling laugh. " _Bunny rabbits?_ "

Demiurge turned his whole body away. Who knew what he was thinking… Ainz felt bad for embarrassing him so much, and the feeling wasn't inhibited. Cursed humanity!

Finally able to pass Albedo, Ainz grasped his Staff, which shrunk to fit him until it was just less than his head-height. He turned to the Guardians and a dark red aura emanated out through the room. At the same time the spectral form of a lich layered over his body, so that for a moment he looked how he used to. Then his new form was back.

Ainz beamed. "See?" he said cheerfully. How very Satoru. How very at odds with everything they'd ever known about him. Nevertheless, the Guardians dropped to one knee.

"Ainz-sama," whispered Albedo.

Ainz figured he should put on some more of an act. He didn't want to completely freak them out. It was just so hard to play the evil undead overlord when he wasn't… well, evil and undead. He supposed _stat-wise_ he was evil – but not in reality. He schooled his face into blankness.

Should he display his power somehow, further prove his identity? It would show them that he hadn't become a total milksop.

 **[Greater Teleportation]** , said Ainz. He held up the staff and was surrounded by light.

He realised his form had disappeared from the physical plane. The Guardians were standing up, and without thinking, Ainz materialised directly behind Albedo, closer than he'd meant to. At the same moment he said, "Albedo" right into her ear, sending her screaming and jumping almost a mile into the air.

Ainz found this inordinately funny and doubled over with laughter as she spun on him.

"Sorry. Sorry, Albedo, I didn't mean to."

Albedo looked like someone had just spat in her dinner. "Ainz-sama, there is no need to _apologise_ to us."

"Sorr—uh, I mean, of course I can apologise if I want to. It's only fair."

"This isn't a democracy, Ainz-sama."

Was he being… subtly scolded? Ainz frowned and tried again to be the perfect aloof ruler. That was what they wanted, wasn't it? As much as he wanted to fully embrace his previous personality of Suzuki Satoru, he knew the denizens of Nazarick wouldn't understand. Would they believe he'd lost his mind? _Put on a mask. Don't feel. Don't smile. Certainly don't laugh_. Right, he could do this.

He turned what he hoped were strong overlord-ish eyes on Albedo.

Albedo clasped her hands in her lap. "Is there anything we can do for you, Ainz-sama?"

"Yes. Inform everyone in Nazarick of my new appearance, and…"

Ainz's stomach rumbled, loudly.

"Is there anyone in Nazarick who can make a hamburger?"

-00-

The huge double doors to the dining room swung open as he approached. Albedo had just called him here, saying all the inhabitants of Nazarick would now recognise him on sight and that she'd had some food prepared for him. He walked into the dining room and stopped dead.

"Albedo, what is _this_?"

The long wooden table was practically creaking under the weight of the dishes. _Holy shit_. The last time he'd seen this much food had been at an all-you-can-eat buffet. A chair stood at the end of the table farthest from him. He walked the length of the table and stared.

There were dishes of what looked like roast chicken, beef, pies, and gigantic ribs, as well as meat he'd never seen before. Was that a _blue_ roast? What sort of animal had _blue meat_? Ainz wasn't sure he wanted to know. There was a crockpot of soup, bowls of muscles, crab, and lobster. Bowls of steamed vegetables peeked out.

Crystal goblets held ice-cream. A fountain of running chocolate stood at one end, surrounding by fresh fruit. There were saucer-like plates holding singular friands, cakes, muffins, mini tarts, and tiny little cupcakes.

In the centre of the table was a whole roast pig, looking like it had come straight off the spit. Except... _that's not a pig_. The thing had four tusks curving from it's maw.

 _Oh my god._

He reached his chair. Albedo stood next to it, her hands clasped in her lap. Ainz wondered why she was here instead of one of the Pleiades – they were supposed to technically be maids after all. Perhaps Albedo had wanted to see him fed with her own eyes – she did particularly care for his wellbeing. He would go so far as to believe she was his most loyal Guardian, though he would never say such a thing out loud.

"You required food, Ainz-sama."

Ainz looked her dead in the eye. Albedo smiled prettily at him.

"You can't be serious," said Ainz.

Albedo's smile dropped. Oh, she was completely serious. Great.

"Is the food not to your liking, Ainz-sama?"

"Wha— no of course it is, it looks wonderful. But Albedo…" He paused a moment. "What'll happen to the food I don't eat?"

Albedo's smile returned. "Why, we will simply dispose of it, Ainz-sama."

 _Dispose?_ "You're going to _throw it out_?" As a lich, this wouldn't have bothered him. Now that he had human feelings back… Satoru would have been furious. He had grown up poor; you didn't just throw out that much food.

"Of course. Does that displease you, Ainz-sama?"

Ainz was still trying to wrap his head around the situation. Where had they even _gotten_ it all? Then his confusion snapped to _how do I fix it?_ A plan half-formed in his mind, he realised Albedo still wanted an answer, so said:

"Call all the Guardians here, except for Cocytus, Victim, and Gargantua. Oh, and call Sebas and the Pleiades too."

Albedo cocked her head, golden eyes questioning. "Ainz-sama?"

"We're going to need some more plates."

-00-

They were gathered and, after the perfunctory attempts to refuse, Ainz had gotten them all to sit. After that, it didn't take long for them to start heaping food on their plates. The table now sported thirteen more chairs, though they had refused to place a chair at the other end of the table. Only Ainz could sit at the head, they said. Albedo was sitting in the place at his right.

Ainz looked down at his plate. There were two brown burger buns and… was there anything in the middle? Ainz pinched the top bun between thumb and forefinger and lifted. Atop the bottom bun were two slices of thin pink meat. Ainz narrowed his eyes – it was so out of place with the tableful of delicacies.

"Albedo, what's this?"

Albedo looked up from her plate, which she had filled with little cuts of meat – nothing else, just meat. "A hamburger, Ainz-sama."

A _hamburger_.

He dragged a hand down his face before his mind told him that was a _human_ action. A smile threatened to break his composure. Should he tell her?

A _ham_ burger.

Claiming intent to eat it later, Ainz set the "hamburger" aside, heaped his plate with food, and ate. He hadn't realised how hungry he was – turned out dying was super energy-consuming. Only when he went for a second plate of food did he observe the rest of the beings at the table.

Shalltear was frowning down at her empty plate. Damn! He'd forgotten. He picked up the staff hovering next to the chair.

"Shalltear."

Shalltear looked up at him. He waved the staff in her direction and a goblet materialised in front her, filled with red liquid. Shalltear's face broke into a smile as tears sprung to her eyes. "Thank you, Ainz-sama." She picked up the goblet.

Aura was happily stuffing her face, but her brother's plate only held a single cupcake with icing in the shape of a smiley-face. Aura frowned and dumped a colossal rack of ribs on top of the cupcake, squashing it.

"Eat, Mare!" said Aura, "Ainz-sama said we could. You'll wither away to nothing if you're too shy."

Ainz didn't want to know what animal those ribs were from, or how rare and valuable it had probably been. Suddenly, he locked eyes with Solution a few places down. She had her eyes on him, unblinkingly, staring at his new human-like form. Very slowly, she licked her lips.

While looking down to slice his knife through the thick slab of meat on his plate, he said casually,

"Solution, don't even think about it."

Something had been pricking at the back of his mind, hitting him now with a blow so fierce it sent a shock of foreboding through him. He looked up, scanning the table. Oh no. The foreboding grew.

"Where's Demiurge?"

-00-

If anyone had noticed the devil's absence, they hadn't said anything, and Ainz had been so focused on filling his stomach he hadn't realised before now.

 **[Open Map],** said Ainz. A rectangular screen blipped to life before his eyes.

 _Nazarick Map_

 _9_ _th_ _Floor – Dining Room_

A multitude of coloured dots were positioned in two straight rows on the map – each dot a Guardian, Sebas, or a maid. His own presence didn't register as a dot. _Strange._ Perhaps so-called "Supreme Beings" didn't show up on maps? Maybe the map could only sense those who had defined racial levels. Ainz was no longer any particular race – he had become a custom avatar of his own invention. Ainz shrugged internally.

Either way, one particular red dot was most definitely not there. Where was Demiurge?

Ainz tapped a little downward arrow in the top right corner.

 _8_ _th_ _Floor - Wilderness_

A little pink dot floated from place to place. The label read _Victim_.

Ainz clicked the arrow again.

 _7_ _th_ _Floor - Lava_

Lines ran across the map, labelled _Lava Rivers._ A little rectangular scrawl sat in the middle of the map. Ainz pinched the middle of the map and spread his fingers, blowing up the rectangular section until it took up the entire screen.

The outlines of the desecrated ruins of an old Greek temple spread across the view. Columns lay collapsed on the ground, parts of the ceiling were cracked off and lodged in the floor. Miniature sprinkles of black dots scurried here and there across the floor, labelled _Minor Demons._

Where was _Demiurge_?

In a sequestered area where the temple wasn't destroyed was a suite of rooms. Ainz pinched and expanded that area. There, in the middle of the room.

One red dot.

 **[Close Map],** said Ainz.

Ainz's chair scraped against the floor as he stood up suddenly, grabbing his Staff. Everyone looked up.

"Please eat as much as you all like and leave whenever you're ready. I'll be going now."

When he reached the hallway outside the dining room, he noticed Albedo trailing at his back.

"Is there a problem, Ainz-sama?"

"It's nothing, Albedo. Don't worry."

"Forgive my presumption, Ainz-sama, but is this about Demiurge's absence?"

Damn, she was observant.

"Yes, I'm going to talk to him. If he didn't show up, there must be something seriously wrong."

Albedo accepted his will without a second thought. "Are you sure you should go alone, Ainz-sama? The last time Demiurge and yourself were in a room alone, well…"

Ainz squeezed her shoulder, making her blush. "Don't worry, okay? Demiurge knows who I am now. I can trust my Guardians, can't I?"

"Yes, of course you can," said Albedo in a small voice.

"Hey," said Ainz, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "It'll be okay. Trust me. I have this." He held up the Staff. "I'll even buff my defence if it'll make you less worried."

"Thank you, Ainz-sama." Albedo agreed, bowed, and retreated to the dining room, still blushing. He'd never known Albedo to be so bashful. Ainz was alone in the hallway.

 **[Gate]** , said Ainz, and stepped through the rift in space into the kaleidoscope.

-00-

Ainz emerged into the middle of the temple ruins on the 7th Floor. A dozen minor demons who were scurrying around stopped dead and turned toward him. Most were black imps with bat-like wings. The Staff in his hand emanated an oppressive red aura. There could be no doubt as to who he was. Demons threw themselves to the ground in his presence.

Giving their prostrate forms wide berths, Ainz walked through an antechamber into the non-run-down section of the temple until he reached a door. His fist was poised above the door, about to knock, before he realised that he could have just teleported into the room.

 _If he'd been a lich…_ He'd been having that thought an awful lot today. Becoming human-like had done more than change his body. It really had brought back his humanity – _all_ _of it_. The manners and self-consciousness, the dorkiness and sense of humour. Those things had still been there before; they'd just been suppressed and easier to hide as a skeleton. It was easy to hide your emotions when you didn't have a face.

He didn't want to offend his Guardians. _This isn't a democracy,_ Albedo had said. Knocking would be highly unorthodox for an evil overlord. Speaking of Albedo, he'd made her a promise, hadn't he?

 **[Greater Resistance]** , whispered Ainz. He felt a surge of strength in his core. He should be protected from attacks now.

He turned the handle and pushed.

"Demiurge," he said, hoping as the door swung open that Demiurge wasn't changing or something.

Ainz's eyes swept over the living room. Demiurge had his back turned, staring out a giant window at a waterfall of lava pouring into a pool somewhere below. At Ainz's voice, he turned around.

The lavafall bathed the room in a red glow. The couch and armchair were upholstered in red and black. The side tables and coffee table were glass atop twisted wrought-iron stands. In one corner a miniature lavafall cascaded from the wall into a little rock pool, making the air almost stifling.

"Ainz-sama," rasped Demiurge, wiping quickly at his cheek with the heel of his hand. He advanced toward Ainz, a glowing knife appearing his hand.

Ainz's back straightened as alarm bells tolled in his mind.

"Ainz-sama, please…" Demiurge pressed the knife into Ainz's hand.

"Kill me," said Demiurge.

-00-

 **FAQ**

 **Q:** When is this set?

A: After Carne Village. Just after the events of Light Novel 1, or Episode 4 of the anime.

 **Q:** Why is Albedo not crazy and not madly in love with Momonga?

A: Because in this fic Albedo's last line of code never existed. This fic is shipping Ainz/Albedo and I can't healthily ship them if her feelings have been artificially tampered with.

 **Q:** What is Ainz now?

A: A humanoid creature with a crown of horns/antlers. He doesn't have racial levels anymore. He's a custom self-designed being.

-00-

 **A/N:** I did extensive research for this chapter. Sorry if anything clashes with canon. Also, canon Ainz is basically omniscient. That won't be the case in this fic. He's going to make mistakes at times (not too often) - that's what it means to have a human mind and heart. But thankfully he'll have his Guardians (especially Albedo) to help him. Thank you for your patience and support.

Reviews are always lovely and inspire me to write more! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** When you have the power to control the fate of another, how do you use it? Can mistakes be atoned for?

-00-

 **Chapter 3**

Ainz stared down at the knife in his hand, his eyes widening. Light glinted off the steel. The knife had a sickly green sheen. _Odd._ The lavafall outside the wall-sized window bathed the room in red. There was no reason for the knife to shine greenish. Unless it was imbued with a spell.

"Did you cast a spell on this knife?" asked Ainz. He looked up at Demiurge, who was just slightly dishevelled. A few strands of hair out of place. Eyes tinged in red.

Wait. Surely not. Demiurge was a _literal demon_. Demons did not cry.

"Yes, Ainz-sama. The knife carries a spell that would not allow for regeneration… Or resurrection."

"What do you mean? Surely no spell can stop resurrection when paid for from the treasury."

Demiurge's eyes remained averted. "I mean no disrespect, Ainz-sama, but such a spell does exist."

Ainz felt a chill rush through him, clashing with the heat in the room. A spell existed that could _stop resurrection?_ He would have to make sure such a spell was never discovered by anyone outside Nazarick. That could cause some _serious_ problems.

"And that spell… is in this knife, that you want me to stab you with. Are you telling me you want your existence wiped from the face of the Earth?" said Ainz.

A wry smile appeared on Demiurge's face. "Correct. As ever, you are one step ahead, Ainz-sama."

" _Why?_ " asked Ainz dumbly.

"I have committed the ultimate sin. To raise a weapon to a supreme being… It is…" Demiurge shook his head, "Unthinkable. Unforgiveable. There is no punishment that can atone for such a crime. The negation of my existence is hardly enough."

Suddenly, Ainz flung the knife across the room, causing it to collide with a glass vase. An explosion of shattering glass.

"And you think I would _agree_ to such a thing! Are you _insane_!" Ainz was aware his voice had raised. Demiurge flinched, but his black eyes remained unchanged, radiating deep pits of blackness and despair.

Ainz continued. "I don't need to be killing my own people. Our enemies will try to do that well enough on their own. How do you think we'd fare without you? You collect our intelligence, help plan our strategies. You are an invaluable asset to Nazarick." Ainz was aware of tears leaking down his Floor Guardian's face. "And you want me to _throw that all away_. Because of one _singular mistake_."

"It was not simply a mistake. It was due to my ignorance that such a situation occurred. I didn't listen to your warnings. It was entirely my fault."

"I have already forgiven you. I would have thought my not killing you as soon as I retrieved my staff would have made that clear."

"It was _my fault_." Broken. The tears would not stop.

" _Oh for god's sake_. Listen to me." Ainz cupped Demiurge's face in his hands and turned his head to look straight into his eyes. " _Listen to me, Demiurge_. This is what you were made for. You were created to stop intruders. It's only natural that you would respond to a foreign entity with force. It's written in your code. It's a part of who you are on the basest of levels. You were made to protect Nazarick and that is _exactly what you did_. And, all things considered, you did a bloody job of it. I should really be rewarding you. You performed magnificently. It's only due to some _fantastically_ great healing powers that I don't have the scars to prove it."

Demiurge pulled away. "Ainz-sama. There is no excuse for what I've done." His voice was faint, as if the thought of leaving Ainz with scars had robbed him of his voice. Okay, so maybe mentioning possible scars hadn't been a great idea. And he'd been going so well, too.

The green-tinged knife reappeared in Demiurge's hand. He held it out to Ainz. "Please help me wipe away this shame."

Ainz took the knife and stabbed it into a nearby table, where it balanced, buried in the wood. "No!"

This wasn't working. There was no reasoning here. He could not just claim Demiurge was blameless – his Guardian's brain simply couldn't reconcile it. That left only one option. Demiurge had to be punished. Somehow. Ainz narrowed his eyes. How did one punish a devil? If Demiurge were a child, he could… take away his toy, or perhaps weapon in this case. But that didn't work in this situation. Did Demiurge even own any weapons? And he wasn't going to leave one of his Floor Guardians defenceless in any case. How would one discipline a child? He supposed he could force Demiurge to do something he disliked.

What would Demiurge most hate to do?

A thought struck him.

Okay.

"I think you're forgetting something here," said Ainz, "You claim that nothing you could do could atone for killing me. And yet I thought I was one who made the rules, am I not?"

Demiurge's eyes were wary. "Yes, Ainz-sama. You do."

"Then I officially pronounce that there is a way you can atone. Do you accept that? Or will you rebel against me?"

"I will not rebel."

Ainz sighed in relief. Now they were getting somewhere. These former NPCs were so sensitive. "Then you can atone for your crime by investigating the recent sightings of the beast in the Great Forest of Tob. Apparently, it has been mauling human merchants travelling through the forest from the countries of the north. Seeing as you despise humans, doing anything to help them would be utterly grating for you, right?"

He was throwing Demiurge a bone. _Please take it, please take it_.

Thankfully, Demiurge was intelligent and understood immediately.

"You are correct, Ainz-sama. It would be awful to think I would have to aid humans." Demiurge's mouth quirked up at one side. Thank god he was understanding. Demiurge could absolve himself of this guilt if only he felt he'd done enough in recompense. Thankfully, Ainz could set the sufficient level of recompense to whatever he liked. It couldn't be _too_ soft, but he didn't want Demiurge to _die_ either.

Demiurge went down on one knee and bowed, a hand over his heart, no trace of tears remaining. "I will faithfully carry out this mission, Ainz-sama. I will find the beast you speak of in the forest and deliver it to you personally. Then, if need be, I will dispose of it for you."

"Thank you, Demiurge, but don't go alone. The forest is huge – it would be impossible to search the entire place yourself. Take a few of the Pleiades with you."

Demiurge stood up. "Yes, Ainz-sama."

"Alright. Then we're done here. **[Gate]** " The rift in space opened. Halfway into his step through the gate, Ainz turned his head back. "Oh and one more thing. Do wait until morning. Rest until then." Ainz smiled.

Demiurge smiled back. "Yes, Ainz-sama."

Ainz turned fully into the kaleidoscope of the vortex and was gone.

-000-

Ainz stepped out of the tear in reality and into his bedroom – the first place he'd thought of when casting **[Gate]**. His gigantic bed beckoned.

That was another downfall of being human. Becoming tired. He could honestly just fall into the blankets right then.

But no.

Every human instinct in his mind told him _no_. You couldn't just go to bed. You had to shower first, or at least clean yourself in some way. How troublesome. He approached the white and gold-rimmed door that led to his en suite bathroom. He turned the knob and pulled.

"You have _got_ to be kidding."

The doorway was a wall of bricks. There was no bathroom.

"Who designed this place?"

 _You did, you idiot._

Right. Never mind. He'd added a bathroom door for decoration. He never thought he'd ever actually have to use a bathroomin YGGDRASIL _._ Then when he'd become undead, he'd completely forgotten about its existence. Easy to do when you don't have a bladder.

He rested his forearms on the bricks, then his head on his forearms and pondered. Surely there was a bath _somewhere_ in Nazarick. The answer hit him like a train to the face. The 9th Floor held a gigantic spa resort. There were nine types of bathing pools there. Too bad he'd never had to use it, and so paid it absolutely no attention. Which meant he didn't know how to get there. You needed to have a clear picture of your destination when casting **[Gate]**.

As much as he loathed to ask for help…

" **[Message]**.Albedo, are you there?"

The reply came immediately. "Yes, Ainz-sama. How can I help?"

-000-

He stood with Albedo outside the spa resort. Upon hearing his request, she had called for the baths to be cleared and appeared outside his door to cast **[Gate]** for him. It was so embarrassing. He was putting in a bathroom as soon as possible. Who is Nazarick could do renovations? Perhaps Sebas? Anyway, he'd think about it later.

"Now that we're here, you should have a bath too," said Ainz, "Not that I'm saying you stink or anything. But to thank you for helping me, you could if you wanted. The baths are separated by gender. It's not like we'd have to bathe together."

"Thank you, Ainz-sama," said Albedo.

They entered and split up, Albedo going on ahead. Ainz stayed in the change room and replaced his clothes with a towel around the waist. Walking through a hallway, he examined a sign written in Japanese on the door.

 _Onsen ~ Hot Springs_

Nice. The room within was filled with steam and fog. He abandoned his towel and let his staff hover on the edge of the pool. Sinking chest-deep into steaming hot water was the best thing he'd felt since entering YGGDRASIL for the last time.

 _This_ – this was the pleasure of being human. Ainz closed his eyes. Skeletons just couldn't appreciate the way the heat permeated your skin and bones.

Ainz's eyes flew open as someone screamed. The fog was clearing. Albedo leaned against the rock wall on the other side of the pool, face beet-red. She immediately turned her body away from him. At the same time, Ainz spun his entire body around and covered his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I swear I didn't mean to come in here!"

Had he really accidently come into the women's baths? What sort of cliché anime scene was this?

He began to get out of the pool when Albedo said, "Wait."

He dropped back in and kept his back firmly turned. "What is it?" he asked, mortified.

Wet fingers brushed his bicep, and he jerked away violently. " _What are you doing?_ "

"Sorry," said the voice from behind him. He could sense Albedo backing up from his negative reaction to the contact.

Albedo's next words had to turn over multiple times in his head before he realised their meaning.

"Would you like an heir?"

The words sounded in his mind. Then again.

" _WHAT?_ " Ainz spun to face her, keeping his eyes firmly on her face. " _What do you mean?_ "

"We are both naked. If you would like an heir, then –"

" _NO!_ No! How could you even… No!"

"Forgive me," said Albedo, backing up to the other side of the pool.

"It's not you. It's just… I couldn't use you like that. I just couldn't. It wouldn't be right."

Albedo was an NPC. She didn't really have emotions, right? Her personality was just programmed. Coded. What she felt wasn't real. So he couldn't.

He absolutely could not.

There was a voice within him that said, _yes you could_. _Look at Albedo. Look at her._

No.

He could not.

 _Pull yourself together._

"I have to go. I'm sorry. There's no need to wait for me." He could feel his heated face as he scooped up his towel and staff and retreated from the room. The heat didn't fade as he used the correct bath, scrubbed the sweat from his body, dried himself, or cast **[Gate]** to return to his room.

He tried to distract his brain with thoughts of bathroom renovation. His brain would not be deterred. He could feel the phantom brush of Albedo's fingers on his arm. The heat from his face still didn't fade, even as he burrowed naked beneath the blankets and screamed into his pillow. Or when he dreamed of black wings and curling white horns.

-000-

 _Chrysogenum Musceria_

 _Yellow petals_

 _Petals: ~3cm diameter_

 _Green Leaves_

 _Leaves: ~4cm diameter_

 _Traits: Blue spots on leaves. Slightly sweet smell._

Marsh snapped his book closed and took his attention away from the flower. This wasn't what he was here for. As much as he enjoyed documenting wildlife, he had come to this forest on a mission: to discover information on the beast that had been mauling merchants passing through. So far, he hadn't found so much as a shred of evidence. Hence the flower recording. Marsh pushed his rectangular glasses up with a finger.

A twig snapped somewhere nearby. Marsh swung around, trying to find the source.

Nothing.

His heartbeat kicked up a few notches. Instead of investigating the beast, he might be about to become its next meal.

Another snap. Marsh pressed his back against a tree and clicked his sword just free of the sheath with his thumb. A rustle. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. He dared to peek out from the tree.

There was something. Was that… a girl? The person was slight, with long orange-pink hair that cascaded to her waist. Was that a maid outfit? Yes, that was most definitely a frilly maid headband. What was the strange metal skirt she was wearing? Some instinct told him to stay hidden, as if the girl wasn't all she seemed.

The girl turned toward him a moment after he hid behind the tree again. He could hear her coming closer. Marsh hoped she hadn't seen him. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears. He could sense her just behind the tree now. When she moved, Marsh though he could hear a faint metal whirring. What was that?

He suddenly gripped his sword hilt tighter.

God, it was coming from _her_.

That girl… wasn't a girl. It was some kind of automaton. Some kind of… beast.

Oh. So the beast could take human form. A trick to lure in its prey no doubt. _Not today_ , he told himself. She was so close now. One more step and she would see him.

Whirring. Now!

Marsh jumped out from the tree, drawing his sword at the same time and swinging it toward the monster.

Mid-swing, he saw she was wearing an eyepatch over one eye, and the other… the pupil was a target, like you'd see through the sight of a gun.

He swung the sword down, and before she could react, he'd hit her over the head with the blunt side of the sword. Her body dropped like a rock to the ground and crumpled.

Looking down at the body, at the slight trickle of blood running down her forehead, Marsh couldn't shake the feeling he'd just made a huge mistake. He looked up and almost jumped out of his skin.

Silently, a woman had appeared a few steps away, wearing the same maid uniform as the girl he'd knocked out save a cat-eared hat atop two long red braids. Who _were_ these people? Marsh shivered at the look in her eyes as she took in the unconscious girl's bleeding head, and shivered more as they landed on him. Then she bared her teeth, showing pointed canines. "Message," she said, "Sebas-sama, Demiurge-sama, you're not gunna believe this."

Suddenly, she held her hand out to the side. Her nails lengthened to claws.

"I found the beast," said the woman.

-000-

Ainz slipped in and out of sleep.

He was vaguely aware of voices, but couldn't stay awake long enough to put together what they were saying. He didn't even consider why he could hear voices in his room at the time. He was aware of himself, lying on his back in the middle of the huge bed. He slightly cold – he must have kicked the covers off in the middle of the night. He couldn't say he disliked the bed – there was so much room to spread out. Though you did have to climb up and crawl to reach the middle – it was just that big.

The voices had stopped. Good. Now he could sleep.

The bed dipped under a new weight.

Wait.

Suddenly something reached over his body to grab his opposite shoulder, startling him awake. His eyes opened, and he came face-to-face with a pair of golden slitted eyes. Ainz heard "wake up" as, by reflex, he kicked his legs and threw his arms up, grabbing whoever this was by the biceps and flipping them onto their back. He straddled them.

Then he realised, staring down into the familiar beautiful face. "A- Albedo!"

He took a moment to realise their position. Albedo's dress was hitched around her hips. Black wings flapped languidly, brushing his knees. She didn't seem to notice or care for their situation as she skipped straight to business. "Good morning, Ainz-sama! I came to wake you up! It is nine-oh-seven a.m. We have a problem."

These words were still registering as Albedo continued. "Unless of course, you would like to put it off for a while. My offer from the hot spring still stands."

"Ngh!" Realising he still hadn't moved, Ainz hastened to remove himself from Albedo and crawl off the bed.

"No thank you, Albedo. And sorry. I didn't mean to…" He waved his hands in Albedo's direction. "You know. Sorry."

Albedo got off the bed and stood a few paces from him, smoothing her dress down. "Think nothing of it, Ainz-sama." She was back to professionalism, the slight pinkness staining her cheeks hardly noticeable. "Demiurge has returned. Him and the Pleiades have captured the beast in the Great Forest of Tob. It is seemingly a human, going by the name of Marsh."

"We have brought him in." Albedo's smile was primal. " _For questioning_."

Ainz had a feeling he wasn't going to like what happened next.

-000-

Sitting in the throne was strange, considering he'd dyed on the spot a few paces away only the day before. That was the least of Ainz's worries though. The most pressing concern: the throne was catastrophically too big for him. When he rested his arm on one of the armrests, he couldn't even reach the other one.

It seemed his race change kept causing more and more problems. He was a fool for thinking it would be a seamless transition. So many elements of Nazarick seemed to revolve around his lich form. He only realised that now that he'd changed.

He slid off the throne and waved his staff at it.

 **[Minimisation],** said Ainz. "Human size."

The throne was surrounded by light, began to wildly shake, then shrunk to the perfect size. Handy. Ainz sat in it again, rested one elbow on the armrest and held his staff loosely, trying to assume a posture of thoughtless elegance.

"Bring him in," said Ainz.

All the usual Floor guardians and Pleiades were there, bar Lupusregina and CZ. The reason for their absence became quickly apparent as the huge double doors of the Throne Room swung open. Ainz felt his breathing hitch. Sebas strode in carrying CZ in his arms, unconscious but thankfully not sporting any visible injuries. Lupusregina loped in behind, her hand fisted in the shirt collar of the human she was dragging behind her.

Lupusregina threw the human to the floor at the base of the dais, canine teeth bared at him. She was a werewolf, after all. The human was young, perhaps eighteen, with a mop of dirty blond hair and a pair of slightly cracked rectangular glasses. The human looked around at the beings in the room, each one compounding the fear in his eyes. The death glares they were all sending him weren't helping either.

Sebas placed CZ gently on the ground. Mare waved his staff over her, muttering a spell. CZ's eyes flew open and she sat up, rubbing at her head with a hand. Then she looked to the human and her eyes narrowed.

"What's your name?" Ainz asked the human, though he already knew.

The human remained on his knees, though his gaze snapped to Ainz. Compared to some of the others in the room, he supposed he, Ainz, looked about as close to human as you could get. Except for the horns, of course.

"My name – my name is Marsh. Could you please tell me where I am?"

Albedo's voice broke the silence. " _You_ are not the one asking questions, wretch. Hold your tongue or we will rip it out." Her eyes were blazing. Usually Ainz would rebuke her for such a phrase, but this human had obviously hurt CZ. He wasn't sure what to make of him. The boy looked… well, terrified was an understatement.

Albedo seemed to take Ainz's silence as a signal to continue. "There are only two fates for those who harm the denizens of Nazarick."

Ainz could feel Demiurge's desire to carry out his mission pouring off the demon. Ainz had said Demiurge could dispose of the monster to atone for killing him. And if not Demiurge, then there were multiple other contenders eager to do the job. Solution was looking hungrily at the boy, a hardness in her eyes speaking of her hatred of the one who had hurt her sister. The other Pleiades' eyes held similar emotion. Albedo looked livid, a dark aura floating around her only he could see.

Everyone in the room was deeply offended at the threat to CZ. Ainz was glad he wasn't in Marsh's position. The stares boring in to him would probably have reduced him to tears. The boy looked on the verge of tears as it was.

"Torture," said Albedo, "Or death."

-00-

 **A/N:** The beast is **not** Hamsuke. It's an actual monster in the forest. Both parties here (Marsh and the Guild of Ainz Ooal Gown) are looking for it but are having tragic miscommunication problems. Thank you all for your patience. Also, thank you to everyone on AO3 for your support.

Reviews make the author very happy and are greatly appreciated! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The words rang in Ainz's mind.

 _Torture… Or death._

He had to do _something._ The eyes of every being in the room were filled with killing intent. The boy was still trembling. Ainz stood from the throne and picked up his staff. The boy didn't look like someone who would go around attacking people at random. Marsh wasn't saying anything. His eyes were just glazed over in fear. It didn't feel right to just kill him. And he certainly wasn't going to have him tortured. It struck Ainz that he could, he _could_ , so easily kill, with no ramifications. _Except on your own mind_ , he thought, only somewhat bitterly.

His staff glowed at the top, perhaps responding to his grip, his heightened heartbeat. If he didn't have some kind of excuse for hurting CZ, Ainz would have to kill him. He couldn't risk alienating the NPCs. If they felt he wasn't a good enough ruler, if they revolted… Without them, without Nazarick, he was quite literally nothing.

"Human. You may say one thing before you die. Choose carefully." said Ainz regally. It was a prompt. _Defend yourself. Give me a reason to spare you, or lock you in the dungeon. Anything._

Marsh blinked and his eyes snapped into focus on Ainz. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

Demiurge stepped forward to stand a few paces from Marsh. "Ainz-sama. May I complete my mission by exterminating this human now?" Demiurge whispered a spell, causing one of his gloves to disappear and claws to elongate.

Then Marsh took a deep breath, threat of immediate demise overtaking his reluctance to speak. He turned and spoke. To CZ.

"Ojou-san*. I'm sorry. I can see now you aren't a monster. Please forgive me."

The last thing he could have said before he dies, and it wasn't to beg for his life, but to… apologise. It was definitely wrong to just kill him.

Demiurge just stood there, slightly apart from the others. His spiked tail swished. CZ narrowed her eyes at Marsh, as if really looking at him for the first time.

Ainz sighed. He would have to kill him. There was no other way out of this. He couldn't afford to look weak, especially after his recent form change.

"Very well. Then I sentence you to—"

"Wait. Please," said CZ, deadpan, brushing past Demiurge, walking a couple more steps, then dropping to a crouch next to Marsh, who was still kneeling on the floor. She pulled him into a hug, shielding his body from Demiurge, and said one word.

"Cute."

-00-

 _What. What the…_

Marsh's brain could not comprehend. So many questions vied for prominence, so many demanded answers that he knew he wouldn't receive. _Who are these monsters? Where am I? Who is the man with the goat horns (Ainz?), and if he was a being this powerful, why had he, Marsh, never heard of him before?_

And the most recent: _Why is the girl hugging me?_

"Cute," said the girl.

Marsh protested on instinct. "I am not—"

The girl's mouth was right by his ear, and hardly moved at all when she spoke next. "Do you want to live or not?"

Marsh's breath hitched.

CZ spoke to the being they called Ainz – she still hugged him, though if it kept him out of reach of a horrible death he supposed he didn't mind. "This human is cute. I forgive him. Can we keep him?"

Marsh wasn't sure what he expected Ainz to say. Perhaps _"No, he's not some stray dog",_ or _"We must keep to the laws of the land"_ (whatever land this was…). Instead, Ainz just looked somewhat relieved, which didn't make much sense considering he was obviously some fearsome and bloodthirsty evil ruler. All of this was too confusing.

The demon-creature with the spiked tail (who seemed very intent on skewering him) went to say something, but Ainz spoke first.

"Since CZ considers the matter forgiven, I see no need for a death sentence. Demiurge, the matter of whether this human is the monster you were hunting requires further consideration. We will discuss it later."

The demon (Demiurge?) simply bowed and stepped back into the crowd. At this, the girl disconnected herself from him and stood up. Marsh let out a breath, relief rocketing through his body. He thought, for the first time since he'd been pushed to his knees in this room, that he might have some chance of getting out alive. The other monsters looked shocked at Ainz. Seemingly noticing the wave of doubt crossing the room's inhabitants, Ainz spoke again.

"However, I will not simply let him go free."

Marsh's heart fell.

Ainz continued. "He has seen too much of Nazarick. Too much of us. We cannot take the chance that he may reveal us to the outside world, or lead an army back here to oppose us. The human will be locked in the dungeon henceforth. This trial is over."

Ainz began to walk away. As some hideous creatures grabbed Marsh by the arms to haul him to his feet, he felt the last tiny light of hope in his chest fizzle out.

-00-

Marsh sat behind bars on a dank pile of hay. His knees were pulled up to his chest, with his chin resting on top. There was no escape from this cell. There were no windows. He was deep underground with walls made of thick stone. Plus, he didn't fancy messing with the jailor outside the door, who had two boar-like tusks curving from his maw.

There was a clattering outside the door, then voices, and Marsh looked up to see the door opening to admit the girl he'd knocked out in the forest and the man (?) they'd called Ainz. Marsh scrambled to his feet, pushing his glasses up his nose nervously. Should he bow or something? He did, briefly. Considering Ainz had spared his life and not had him tortured, it was probably appropriate.

"I'm sure you're confused and afraid, but we have questions, and it would be prudent of you to answer them if you wish to live. Why were you in that forest?" asked Ainz.

Marsh had been rehearsing this in his head. He couldn't afford to mess up now, with his life in the balance. "We've been getting reports of a monster causing trouble for travellers in the forest. I was there investigating. I was hoping to observe it, see if it could be communicated with, before someone went out and killed it." He turned to the girl. "Ojou-san, forgive me if this is a rude question, but you aren't that monster, are you?"

The girl shook her head. "I am not. We search for the same creature. Therefore, it's logical to assume you are not the monster either."

"That's right. Again, I'm truly sorry to both of you for this," said Marsh.

"But why go alone?" asked Ainz. "What would you have done if the beast attacked you? Are you a miraculous fighter?"

"Uh… Not exactly," said Marsh, shuffling his feet, "I'm more of a… well, biologist I guess. I don't like the thought of creatures being hunted down without a chance to explain themselves. If they can. I was alone because my family didn't exactly approve of my going on trips. They said they wanted me to stay at home. So I had to go in secret. And now I'll never see them again. I'm sure they're all worried about me, but there's nothing I can do now."

He was playing the sympathy card, which in retrospect was probably not the best card to play to appeal to a group of heartless monsters, but it was the only thing he could think of. Fighting was out of the question.

Ainz frowned. "You said you've been getting reports on the monster's whereabouts. Do you have its location?"

"Um… sort of. I know the general area it's lair is supposed to be."

Ainz nodded. "Come with us. Lend us your knowledge. Help us fight it and I will see about your release from the dungeon, though I still cannot let you leave Nazarick."

"I—"

"Also," Ainz continued, "See it this way… you can either take this deal or we can take the information by force and leave you to rot in this cell for the rest of your days. It's your choice."

It wasn't a choice, and they both knew it. Marsh bowed. "Of course. I accept your terms. When do we leave?"

-00-

An hour later, Ainz, Albedo, Demiurge, CZ, and the soft-spoken human scientist stood at the gaping mouth of a cave.

"Alright," said Ainz, turning to face his people, voice carrying, "We don't know what we're up against. Whatever it is, it's extremely unlikely it will pose a threat to us. We are carrying out this task to forestall any future blame on Nazarick this monster might bring. Let's go."

As they walked deeper into the cave, it became harder to see. Someone cast a light spell, illuminating the end of the cave mouth. When they reached it, the cave expanded outwards into a space as large a stadium. Holes pockmarked the walls from floor to ceiling, so small a human would have to crawl to get through.

The ground was littered with bones. Ainz thought they were probably from humans, which made him feel slightly sick. They walked around the edges of the room, skirting the bones in the centre.

"Everyone take up defensive positions. We'll wait for the monster to return to its lair." Everyone nodded. CZ, specializing in ranged combat, ascended a ledge up the wall with the human trailing after her. Ainz hid behind a rock outcrop sticking up from the ground.

"Do you hear something, Ainz-sama?" Albedo whispered, hiding somewhere nearby. Ainz heard. A low humming was emanating from beneath the ground and was slowly moving upwards, through the walls.

 _What is that…_ Ainz's eyes opened wide. "EVERYBODY GET AWAY FROM THE WALLS!"

Ainz, Albedo, and Demiurge sprang toward the centre of the room, just in time as the humming went from a low drone in the walls to an ear splitting buzzing as hordes of little winged demons, not unlike the winged imps that resided at Nazarick, exploded from the holes in the walls.

A gunshot rang out and one of the monsters went down, shot right between the eyes. Up on the ledge, CZ was taking aim again.

Albedo was clad from neck from toe in her Hermes Trismegistus armour, forsaking the helmet for this battle for reasons unknown to Ainz, leaving her hair to flow down her back. She held her black bardiche tightly, a wicked gleam in her eyes and smile as she turned her head to Ainz.

Ainz nodded. "Nazarick, attack!" The three beings on the ground leapt forward into the fray of demons.

Devastation.

There was no other word for it.

Having had time to explore his new form's powers prior to the battle, Ainz discovered he now had advanced swordsmanship skills, and acquired the strongest sword Nazarick was able. It worked well, better than well, as he danced through the fray of demons like a harbinger of death. The demons dropped like flies.

He saw Albedo hack down an imp and spin gracefully to hack down another rearing up behind, then leapt away and past his eyes, her hair flying behind her. _So beautiful._ A demon reared up on its hind legs, half-meter long claws bearing down on her, and she met them with her bardiche, as one would with swords, and pushed her body weight forward, sending the demon toppling onto it's back. As she stepped forward to finish it off, Ainz had to turn quickly to stab a nearby imp.

When he looked back at her, their eyes met.

Ainz smiled at her, face probably splattered with as much blood as hers was. She smiled back, beautifully feral, and Ainz felt his heart speed up for the first time since the battle began.

-00-

Marsh had been wrong. Incredibly wrong. These demons they were fighting were evil and wild and thus impossible to reason with. Were they the monster they were looking for or were they just the minions of a larger threat?

The girl (who he'd learned was called CZ) was lying on her stomach on the ledge, shooting shot after shot into the enemy hordes.

She didn't miss once.

A scrabbling and screech from the bottom of the ledge incline caught his attention, and CZ turned her head slightly from the sight of her gun to look at it.

"Don't worry," said Marsh, drawing his sword, "I'll protect you." Marsh had the high ground. As the demon ascended the incline, Marsh sliced it down. He turned back to CZ. CZ disconnected from her gun once more to look at him.

"Thank—" she began, but then her eyes widened and her mouth opened to yell _– yell –_ from the girl who had spoken in nothing but deadpan since he'd first met her – "Watch out!"

A blood-curdling screech sounded right behind him. No time to raise his sword, he spun to see razor-sharp claws descend on his head.

CZ shot the monster and it went down in a heap.

Marsh blinked.

"Be careful," said CZ in monotone.

-00-

 **Language notes:**

*Ojou-san: A polite term for a young lady, like "Miss". I think if this was in Japanese, Marsh would call CZ this, though writing "Miss" sounded too stilted to me. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in the word usage.

 **A/N:** Thank you for all your patience. I spent many hours writing this chapter and I'm trying my very best. Please be kind to me. Also, Ainz has a sword now. I know that's not how it is in the canon, but we're already diverging, so why not. I know there was no evidence of spells being used in the fight, but lets just assume they are using them, but the specifics aren't being revealed to the audience.

If you enjoyed this, feel free to leave a review.

-00-

 **Mailbox**

 **Metafanfix:** Thank you. Yeah he made a stupid mistake.

 **RyuujiVantek:** I'm not an expert in YGGDRASIL game mechanics, but as far as I can tell from the wiki, CZ has very low physical defence. Also, she was hit very hard and taken by surprise. I don't know what else to say in that regard. Hamsuke won't be in this.

 **Awareness Bringer:** Hello from AO3! Thanks for the comment. I just got it cross-posted recently.

 **awardedall:** haha yeah I know Demiurge has crystal eyes, but I just... decided to ignore cannon slightly... whoops.

 **muratira:** Yes, I ignore cannon sometimes to suit my stories. :) Just a little bit. I know about the aura, but that messes up my premise. :)

 **Prof...** **:** Hi! Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy it :)

 **Guest:** Thank you so much! I like Albedo's craziness too and she will retain a little of it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 (Final Chapter)

The battle was finished. Ainz, Marsh, and CZ sat on a scattering of fallen logs outside the cave, catching their breath. Demiurge and Albedo went off to scout the area. Their victory was resounding. After all, CZ had shot the monster right between the eyes. Its carcass lay in the background.

Upon collapsing onto the log, Ainz felt a deep throb of pain in his forearm. He looked down at it, splattered in blood. It was all his own blood… right? He ripped up his sleeve. The cut was small and shallow, but a trickle of blood ran down his arm. He hadn't even remembered being hit. It was healing quickly, the flesh knitting back together.

Ainz broke from his thoughts as she saw CZ and Marsh sitting on a nearby log. Very close together.

-00-

"Are you okay?" Marsh asked CZ "You're not injured?" He sat next to her on the log.

"All systems are active," said CZ, drinking from a metal flask.

"What are you drinking?" asked Marsh.

"Beverage. Good for joints."

"Oh… uh, I know this is kind of rude, but would you mind if I had some? I haven't drunk anything since yesterday." Marsh coughed involuntarily.

CZ turned her eye on his and the target inside swivelled in and out. "You would not like it."

Marsh ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly, Ojou-san, I think I'd take just about anything right now."

CZ handed the flask over wordlessly.

"Thank you," said Marsh. He went to drink it, but his eyes quickly widened as shoved the flask back into CZ's hands and fell to his hands and knees. Marsh retched it onto the grass, coughing deeply. More coughing. "What…" He turned his head to stare up at CZ.

"Engine oil," said CZ, "Good for joints."

" _Why didn't you tell me?"_

The corner of CZ's mouth quirked up. "I said you would not like it."

" _That's not the same— Oh."_ Marsh stopped speaking to take the second flask CZ held out.

"This is water."

"Thank you." The cold water running down his throat seemed to freeze his entire body. It was getting dark. Neither Ainz-sama or CZ seemed to be feeling the cold at all. Marsh shivered and put his arms around himself, hunching on the log. CZ's eye target swiveled again, as if assessing him.

Without a word, CZ took her scarf and wound it around his neck. It was a strong heavy warmth. "Warm," said CZ.

"Ojou-san… Thank you."

"My name is CZ-two-one-two-eight Delta. Most beings call me CZ."

"Then, thank you. CZ."

-00-

Ainz had the NPCs gathered before him. He held his staff. "There's something you all should know." He'd thought to keep this secret forever. He's changed his name to Ainz to try to find the members of his old guild, if any where still out there. Even if that was wishful thinking, he just hoped to find _someone_ from his previous world. Anyone. And to make the name of Ainz Ooal Gown known throughout the land was the best way to achieve that goal. His guild had been infamous in Yggdrasil. But he needed... more. He wanted his existence to feel less like a broadcasting antenna. And more... well, more like a person. Every time someone called him "Ainz-sama", he felt a little piece of his previous self slipping away. If he'd been undead, it probably wouldn't have mattered to him. And that scared him - that he'd come so close to losing his basic morality and humanity.

Ainz shivered at what he might have become.

What mattered was what he did now. "I would like to tell you all my real name."

Puzzled looks and frowns.

"Do you mean your True Name, Ainz-sama?" said Aura.

 _True Name?_ Like in the hocus-pocus possess-your-body way? Suzuki Satoru wasn't his True Name... right? At least he hoped not. Anyway, he was sure no one in the room would try to possess him.

"No, my birth name. From where I lived before."

Shalltear was tearing up. "Ainz-sama, we are not worthy of such knowledge."

Ainz held up his hands. "Please, it's not a big deal. I will still be called Ainz Ooal Gown to the outside world. But within Nazarick, please call me Suzuki Satoru." Then, as an afterthought, "Satoru is my given name."

The looks of shock were not abating. Hopefully, he hadn't gone too far.

-00-

Satoru couldn't help but feel like CZ and the human were becoming inappropriately close. Over the next few months, he kept seeing them together. First in the library, hunched over a book about plants, the human pointing things out and explaining animatedly. Next in the garden, when they were crouched on the ground together looking at a vibrant red flower with curling petals. Marsh was taking notes in a book. (Satoru investigated the flower later, but there wasn't anything special about it. It just had distinctive roots). They began to dig it up to replant it into a pot. They were just… gardening together. It was perplexing.

Later still, Satoru found an ear-muffed Marsh helping CZ in her workshop, bringing her wrenches and mechanical parts while she used a welding iron to form some mechanical structure. It made a loud _rrnnnngggg!_

"Marshall, I need the astro-flex emitter," said CZ, eyes locked on her welding. He handed it over.

Satoru spoke before he realised it would reveal his eavesdropping. _"Marshall?"_

Marsh jumped almost a mile into the air and took off his earmuffs. CZ flipped up her welding helmet.

"Good morning, Ainz-sama," said Marsh.

" _You didn't tell me your name was Marshall."_

Marsh shifted on his feet. "Ah… Marsh is my nickname."

Satoru's eyes narrowed. "I see." He couldn't shake the feeling the human was hiding something. He didn't have to wait long to find the answer. It came a week later in the form of a man with a scowl.

-00-

"Marshall!" yelled Satoru. Marsh was sitting on a plush couch in the library reading a book. At the call of his name, he jumped up.

"Yes?"

"There is a man looking for you in the forest. Albedo said he had a deep scowl."

Marsh put a hand over his mouth. "Oh no, he found me…"

"A friend of yours?"

"Something like that. Can I see him?"

Satoru sighed. "We'll bring him in."

A few minutes later, Albedo was sending a man who looked to be in his twenties sprawling to the floor of the library. "Argh! What _are_ you?"

Albedo ignored him. "Who are you and what do you want with the human?" snarled Albedo.

The newcomer pushed himself to his feet, scowling, and dusted himself off. Then he saw Marsh.

"Hey Ryder," said Marsh, waving sheepishly.

"Your Highness!"

-00-

"Hang on," said Satoru, "Your _what-now_?"

Marsh scratched his head sheepishly. "Guess the cat's out of the bag. My name is Prince Marshall of Escatora."

"You did not think…" Satoru curls his hands into fists. " _To tell me this?_ "

"Would you have, if you were me?"

Satoru shrugged. "Fair point. However, this…" He rubbed his forehead, "This _really_ complicates things."

"How so?"

"Nazarick is invading Escatora. Tomorrow. We're going to transform it into the Sorcerer Kingdom."

-00-

Ryder didn't like them. That much was obvious. At the declaration from Ainz, he drew his sword. Big mistake. Albedo looked like she was about to murder him on the spot. She quite possibly would have if Satoru hadn't held out his arm.

"Ryder!" barked Marshall, "Sheath your sword." He did so, reluctantly. "I'd like a moment alone with my knight, if you don't mind." Marsh grabbed Ryder's wrist and dragged him behind the nearest bookshelf. "Are you _an idiot_? Do not, _under any circumstances,_ draw on that creature," Marsh whispered fiercely.

"He is planning to _invade_ Escatora."

"Yes, and we will let him, because if we don't, _we will die_. They will decimate us. They _cannot_ be defeated. There are other creatures in this place. Not only are they soul-crushingly terrifying, they also hate humans. I'd rather not antagonise a whole kingdom of monsters who hate me."

"I do not hate you."

Marsh jumped (he was doing that a lot lately). CZ had appeared around the bookshelf.

"CZ… I didn't mean you."

"We may be going to war," said CZ.

"We will _not—"_ Marsh shot a look at his knight. "—Be going to war. CZ, I will not fight you. I refuse."

-00-

Satoru's new plan was simple. He would send Marshall, Ryder, and CZ back to Escatora. They would convince Marshall's parents to cede to Nazarick. (CZ would, if necessary, show a display of force to convince them). Nazarick would then annex Escatora and remake it into the Sorcerer Kingdom.

No bloodshed needed. If all went according to plan, no one would have to get hurt.

If only things went according to plan.

-00-

Three days later, Marshall sent word that Escatora had yielded both their country and their castle to Nazarick, and that Ainz-sama was welcome to visit them whenever it suited him.

Satoru and Albedo gated to the hall of the castle. The hallway walls were almost blindingly white and gilded with gold. The letter had said the castle had been cleared of people for their arrival. The entire place was empty and silent. The door to the throne room was up ahead. As they walked toward it, sitting open, an uneasiness stirred in Satoru's stomach.

Something picked at his mind. It was too easy. Far too easy.

They entered the throne room. Albedo scrunched her nose. "We would be happy to have the colour scheme of this castle remastered for you, Satoru-sama." Everything _was_ very white. "We could have—"

Albedo didn't get to finish as a great rumbling passed through the floor, and suddenly scores of armed men were stampeding through the door, fanning around them. Satoru's eyes widened, and he felt a weight lift off his chest as if he'd been subconsciously waiting for something to happen. The satisfaction of being right outweighed the fear of attack.

"I'll handle this," said Satoru, calmly drawing his sword. He wouldn't kill them but removing body parts wouldn't go amiss.

Suddenly, he realised their weapons were glowing green. It seemed familiar somehow. In a torrent of understanding and fear, Satoru remembered Demiurge pressing a dagger into his hand, glowing green. _It stops resurrection._

Someone yelled, "In the name of Prince Marshall Escatoré, attack!"

-00-

There wasn't time to process Marshall's betrayal. There was a yell from behind, and a soldier who had been hiding behind the throne jumped out and ran toward them, straight toward Albedo, sword out and glowing green. If it hit Albedo, even a little…

"Watch out!" Without thinking, Satoru launched himself in front of Albedo just as the man came into range and ran the soldier through with his sword. He pulled it out, and the man fell dead to the ground.

Satoru felt nauseous when turning to the crowd of soldiers. "Marshall! What is the meaning of this?"

It wasn't Marshall that stepped out from the crowd, but Ryder. He raised his sword at Satoru. "You are a threat to our kingdom. I cannot allow you to live."

"This conversation bores me," said Albedo, and cast a spell that sent a shockwave through the crowd, knocking them all off their feet and out cold. Ryder flew off his feet and landed on his butt, sword flying away. Albedo approached him, eyes burning.

"Wait!" CZ ran into the room.

Albedo looked at her in annoyance. "CZ? What is it?"

"Please do not kill him."

" _Why not?"_

"It will make Marshall very sad."

"When did you start caring for traitors?" asked Albedo.

"Marshall did not betray us. He did." CZ pointed to the knight. "Marshall did not know."

" _Either way,_ " said Albedo, exasperated, "Why do you even _care?"_

" _Because I am in love with him._ "

Albedo looked confused. "You are… what?"

"In love," said CZ, "With Marshall. He is a very kind and intelligent human. I love him very much. I know I am not supposed to be able to love, but I understand the basic procedure. Love is when you try not to make them cry. Killing this man would make Marshall cry. I am affirmative on this fact. Even if it seems impossible for my species to love, I know it's there. I can feel it."

Albedo hesitated, and that was when Marshall appeared at the door and began to make his way over the knocked-out corpses. " _What on earth happened here?_ What's going on?"

"A threat to Nazarick is punishable by death," said Albedo, "Your man has committed a crime against us."

Marshall's eyes fell on his knight, who had stood up again. " _You_ did this? How could you?"

"I couldn't just let this happen!" said Ryder. "They're monsters who will kill you without a second thought. Even that one!" He pointed at CZ.

"Silence!" said Marsh, before closing his eyes to sigh deeply. When he opened them again, they were full of resolve. He dropped to one knee before Satoru. "Please do not harm my knight, Ainz-sama. I have known him since birth, I cannot bear to see him die. He was only trying to protect me. Please allow his actions to fall on my head instead."

Satoru hesitated. He had already killed a man today.

"Ainz-sama, there is no reason to keep either of these traitors alive," said Albedo.

Satoru took a deep breath. he was going to do it again, something Albedo (in fact, all Nazarick) would no doubt misunderstand and shun him for. "Lock him in the dungeon at Nazarick. Marshall may go free. There will be no further uprising and there is no need for further violence. We're going home."

-00-

When Satoru returned to the privacy of his bedroom, what had happened crashed down on him. He had killed a man. Someone who probably had a family. It didn't matter if it had been to save one of his floor guardians, all his brain was supplying at that moment was solid tons of guilt. It was a natural human reaction to what he'd done. He'd stabbed him _through the chest_. He remembered the man's lifeless face. His stomach turned, and he ran instinctively for the newly installed en suite bathroom. Satoru had only just collapsed to his knees on the tiles before he was chucking his guts up into the toilet, fingers clenching around the porcelain bowl.

He'd killed a person. Things like that didn't happen back in his old life. They just didn't. It wasn't even thinkable. And in YGGDRASIL, it was all a simulation. It wasn't real killing, real _death_. He threw up again and groaned into the toilet. Stupid emotion. Stupid guilt.

Maybe becoming humanoid had been a mistake.

-00-

The bed was soft under Satoru's head. He just needed to get through the night. After that, he could put all this behind him. His eyes closed.

-00-

Satoru awoke to incessant metallic beeping. Over and over. _Beep beep beep beep beep beep._

What the-

There was a heavy weight on his head and on his cheekbones and temples. He opened his eyes groggily to find everything black. A line of red text was emblazoned across his vision.

 _Error. Simulation terminated. cannot be found._

His mind was sluggish. What- what was he seeing? Satoru reached to his face and tugged the headgear off his head. The room was an empty box of a room. This was his PC room. Back in...

Back in...

No. There was a buzzing in his veins, vibrations running through him not entirely from nerves. He reached up and grabbed the pin that connected the back of his neck to his PC cord. He pulled, and his blood quietened. The cord coiled on the floor, pin making a _tink_ as it hit the floorboards. Satoru straightened his back in the chair, gripping the headgear hard in his lap. It was dawning on him.

Gone.

It was all gone. Yggdrasil was gone. The New World was gone. His mind rebelled violently. It was like getting a taste of limitless power, and suddenly having it stripped violently away. No, it wasn't _like_ that. It _was_ that. His body was sore from sitting in one position too long. His body never got sore in the New World. It was whiplash. So many emotions ripped through him all at one, and it took all his effort to bite his lip and _not scream_. _Do. Not Scream._

He could fix this. Quickly, he reconnected the pin to his port, and shoved the PC back on his head. His desktop appeared in his vision. The Yggdrasil app was still there. He tapped it. A message appeared.

 _Yggdrasil is now offline. Thank you for playing._

 _Ishihara Ryoma_

 _Lead Programmer_

Satoru closed the box and tapped again. The box appeared again. Then a small circle began to spin in the corner of the screen, and the Yggdrasil app disappeared. And with it, disappeared the remnants of his hope.

A tinny bell chimed from his pocket. Divesting himself of the PC again, he pulled out his phone.

 _1 new reminder._

 _Event: Work begins in 1 hour._

Satoru's brain was silent.

 _Work._

Satoru envisioned his life ahead of him, sitting in a cubicle, the same as always. Tapping at a computer, the same as always. When he'd told the NPCs to call him Satoru... was this what he'd wanted to remember? Was this who he'd been trying to be? Nothing made sense.

Nothing made sense.

He curled into a ball and was silent. His breathing laboured. Then hot water streaked down his face.

-00-

He went to work, trying to convince himself it had all been a dream. Maybe that would dampen the pain. Opening a spreadsheet on the computer, he suddenly squeezed his eyes shut as an earsplitting wail echoed through his head. There were voices in his head now. Faint, frantic. Calling.

Was he going mad?

He could make out a word, shouted over and over.

 _Satoru-sama! Satoru-sama!_

He wasn't sure who the voice belonged to, but he knew that no one in _this world_ used _-sama_ with his name.

 _Satoru-sama! Where are you?_

The man in the cubicle next to him poked his head above the divider. Satoru became instantly aware he was hunched over himself over with his head in his hands.

He had to be going mad.

"Suzuki-san," said the man, "Are you all right? You sound like you're in pain."

He hadn't heard himself make a noise. What was he supposed to say- " _Oh I'm fine, just hearing voices in my head. Just a normal day on the job"_? He'd be institutionalised.

"Don't worry," said Satoru, straightening and taking a breath, " I'm fine."

He was _not_ fine.

Suzuki Satoru was many things, but _fine_ was not one them.

-00-

In his dreams that night, he heard the voices again.

 _There's no further word on Satoru-sama's disappearance. Do you think he's abandoned us, like the other Supreme Beings?_

Everything was dark around him. Like he was floating in space, but with ground beneath him. With everything that had happened, he was losing the ability to become surprised. He just rolled with it.

 _He's been acting rather strange. Do you think there was something wrong? Something amiss in his homeland, perhaps?_

A bright pinprick of light shone in the distance. Satoru began to walk toward it as curiosity filled him.

 _You think he's returned to his homeland?_

The light became bigger. Satoru concentrated hard on the voices as he walked, drinking them in. He wouldn't dare to hope. Not yet.

 _We can't know for sure, but it's highly unlikely he's simply run away._

 _Why would he_ do _this? I thought he said he wouldn't leave us like this?_ The voice was getting angry. _Why would he go_ back _on his_ word _?_

The light looked big enough to crawl through now, and he winced at the pain in the voice. It was Shalltear.

 _We mustn't allow ourselves to lose hope._ It was Sebas. _It's possible this is temporary._

He'd reached the source of the light. An archway, through which was shimmering gold. The voices reverberated around inside his head.

 _Do you think Satoru-sama will be able to find his way back?_ said Shalltear.

Another voice boomed, not like the voices of the NPCs, but louder, from everywhere in the darkness all at once. "Dimension Traveller, you walk the Abyss. Should you choose to take this path, the road back will be forever closed. Turn your back, and you will return to the dimension of your birth. Choose."

He hadn't been given a chance the first time, but now... The road ahead was fraught with danger and decisions and crippling fear. The road back lead to normality, to safety.

The road ahead led home.

 _Choose._

Satoru lifted his chin and stepped through the archway.

-00-

He awoke to blinding gold. He was lying on gold. He was surrounded by it, piles upon piles of gold coins as far as the eye could see. Gold was melting around him.

It was the treasury. He was back.

-00-

After discovering the guardians had gathered in a room on one of the lowest floors, Satoru gated there. As he popped into existence in the room, a crowd of eyes turned to him abruptly. They were all frozen. After a second of frozen shock, everyone yelled all at once.

-00-

He tried, and failed, to answer a roaring torrent of questions. "I will explain everything in time," Satoru was trying to say, but that didn't deter them.

He'd hardly had time to think on everything before. But he was thinking on it now. That voice in the darkness... Somehow his soul had been split between two dimensions. By making himself human in this one, he'd opened a connection to the other half of his soul, the totally human half stuck on Earth. The one in the New World was something other. And then, when he'd acted human, again and again, it had been dragging his soul pieces closer and closer together. Until finally, his consciousness had been forcibly flung back to it's origin. He knew inside that if he'd never transformed himself into a humanoid, he would never have felt emotion strong enough to hear the NPC's voices from another dimension. He would never have been able to love something so much that he walked the literal Abyss to get back to it. To them.

So, though acting human had made him weak, made him susceptible to slipping back, it was also what made it possible for him to return to Nazarick. Humanity and compassion had allowed him to cross worlds.

He caught a glimpse of CZ and Marshall at the back of the crowd, hand in hand.

"Satoru-sama, why - why did you come back?" asked Mare.

"Because," said Satoru, "well, I couldn't leave all of you alone, could I?"

He remembered the voice. _Should you choose to take this path, the road back will be forever closed._ There was no part of his soul on Earth now. He'd brought that part here with him. Surrounded by a sea of jubilant eyes, warmth glowed in his chest. A soul complete. A soul restored.

Perhaps being human wasn't so bad after all.

 _End._

-00-

 **A/N:**

Hi everyone!

This fic was marked as discontinued for a while because I was having a lot of trouble with my plot plan. However, it kept gnawing away at me to finish. It took a while, but I finally sorted it out. I was straying from my original artistic vision for this fic, which in this case was worsening the situation. I've reworked this many times, but this final chapter was my final idea for what I wanted for this fic.

I hope everyone enjoyed this.

As always, thank you all for your patience and support.

Comments are extremely appreciated!


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